Team CBLT V2
by rcon11
Summary: With Cobalt MIA Bruna is put in charge of CBLT. While Bruna leads at Beacon; the world politics have changed for Conway's favor. Things are looking up for Bruna and her people, but a few well placed shots could easily tear the whole thing down. Troublesome times are upon us, is Conway ready to join the world; or will they be torn down by an unlikely friend?
1. Introduction

Two families exist; the Conways and the Schnees. One rich in virtue, and the other in wealth. As far as people could remember they had hated each other with ferocity never before seen; that is until the day of Jahrestag. Our heir brought a surprising guest into or city; a Schnee. Like us she was raised to despise the other side, but the day removed all doubt of what the future may hold. Our celebrations were sabotaged and an odd thing happened; or greatest enemy assisted us in our hour of need. When the day was over our city was saved; with a Schnee to thank. For the first time ever a Schnee showed us a new possibility; peace. The Schnee was invited and inducted into our sacred order by our heir. He promised to cultivate a peace with the Schnees and then the world; he had planted the seed for peace and tended to it marvelously. Now our heir is missing; disappeared without a trace. His nation in his absence is now pushing for Conway to unite with the world. The Battle of the Coliseum was only the beginning. Peace must be made and the world must unite; or life as we know it shall be destroyed. We now return to the heroes of our saga, or who is left. They were left by their brother to tend to the peace he worked to forge. They will do their best, but for peace to work; both factions must be willing to commit.


	2. Change of Place

"I am starving!" said Lenna "and it's taco day"! "You don't care what day it is" said Bruna "you're always hungry". "With all the work we have been doing" said Lenna "I have been using so much energy lately". "We have been out of school since Jahrestag" said Tuscan "you haven't been expending any energy at all". The team heard a slamming noise and saw a yellow speck fly from the roof of the cafeteria into the sky. "What the heck?" said Bruna. "Something tells me that we shouldn't go in there" said Tuscan. "Or maybe it is something fun!" said Lenna "let's go"! "Lenna wait!" said Tuscan. The two chased the Faunus into the cafeteria. When they got inside they watched team Ruby come to an abrupt stop in front of the wall; leaving a crater in the wall. Before Bruna could ask what was happening team JNPR was thrown into the wall and Ruby leaped away. A vortex of food and other items flew towards them. "Shit!" said Bruna. Bruna braced herself and when she opened her eyes Tuscan had put up a barrier around them which was covered in food. The barrier collapsed and the food just hit the ground. Team JNPR slid off the wall as Ruby tried to look as dramatic as possible. "Definitely the most over the top food fight I've ever seen" said Bruna. Glynda stormed in and set the whole thing back in order. "Children please" she said "do not play with your food". A light pierced the ceiling and Yang came crashing down through one of the tables. Bruna stormed over to team RWBY. "I can't believe you guys" said Bruna "you had a whole food fight without me; I'm hurt". "Fight is an understatement" said Yang "it was a war". Bruna noticed Ozpin and Glynda starting to leave the hall. "And you didn't get in trouble!" said Bruna "when I pull shit like this Glynda jumps on me like that". "That's because you have your vendetta with Ms. Goodwitch" said Tuscan. "It's just because of that pole up her butt" said Bruna "it's so much fun". "You guys wanna hang out?" asked Yang "we're thinking of heading to the". "Oh before I go" said Goodwitch "Bruna can I see you in the headmaster's office; now"? Bruna bowed her head and sighed. "Maybe later then" said Ruby "see you guys".

Bruna sat across from Ozpin at the table; with Glynda behind her. "Nice office" said Bruna "gotta nice; steampunk feel to it". "Bruna" said Ozpin "we need to talk about your recent behavior in school". "Hey I already apologized to Professor Port" said Bruna "and that's who I am so good luck changing that; what you see is what you get". "Watch your tone young lady!" said Goodwitch "I have half a mind to call up you father and". "Glynda, please" said Ozpin "Bruna I know that you are still taking your brothers disappearance pretty hard but be confident in the fact he will be found. I believe that you are simply acting out because you don't have any way of sharing your thoughts". "I know they'll find Cobalt" said Bruna "you don't need to tell me that. And secondly I don't need to share anything with you". "I was hoping you would think otherwise" said Ozpin "before you go there is one more thing". "And what's that?" asked Bruna. "Cobalt going missing has brought you down to a team of three" said Glynda "your father and I have been talking about suitable replacements". "We don't need anything" said Bruna "Cobalt's coming back and when he does I don't want anything to have changed since he left". "That may be so" said Ozpin "but he has been gone for weeks without a trace and the semester is starting up tomorrow. Your father and I have been working to get you your fourth teammate". "I don't care" Bruna began to make her way out "we will be a team of three as long as it takes for Cobalt to come back. I don't care about any of your damn rules"! There was a pause as silence gripped the room; Glynda was struggling to bottle up her frustration. "Very well" said Ozpin "you may go; unless there is anything else for you to say"? "No thanks" Bruna made her way to the door. "One more thing" said Glynda "if your behavior continues as such; your leadership position will also be revoked". "Fine then" Bruna slammed the office door. "How did it go?" asked Lenna. "Great!" said Bruna "now come on; Yang texted me, let's go". "Alot of yelling in there" said Tuscan "what happened". "They want us to replace Cobalt!" said Bruna "he'll be back soon; I know it". "But what if he doesn't?" said Tuscan "something's happening and we need to be prepared to fulfill our sacred duties as Conways". "Oh shut up" said Bruna "I'm not in the mood for the "wise and all knowing" Tuscan". "Look Bruna" said Lenna "we miss Cobalt as much as you do but we need to move on. And maybe it'll be temporary; at least until Cobalt comes back". "Shut up I know" said Bruna "let's just go see RWBY and JNPR".

The trio entered the garden to see the two teams in the plaza. "Okay guys" said Ruby "today's food fight was fun, but we can do better. Unfortunately the binder was drowned in soda and chowder and I have bad memory. So Bruna; since you missed the food fight you get to pick". "Oh god" said Tuscan. "All right guys" said Bruna "this is a game I rocked in combat camp back at Polaris; Capture the Flag"! "I think we have had enough fighting for one day" said Tuscan "how about we prepare for tomorrow's studies"? "Lame!" said Nora. "Since we need two even teams I'll play referee" said Bruna "There are two teams two flags; you need to get their flag but protect your's. You can use you weapons in the same manner you would in sparring. Once your aura is red you are out for the game. It will be team RWBY vs. JNPR to keep it simple; any questions"? "What about us?" Tuscan asked. "Ruby and Jaune will coin toss" said Bruna winner gets the first pick between Tuscan and Lenna". Jaune and Ruby stepped towards each other. "Ladies first" said Jaune. "Heads" said Ruby. "Cus yours are gonna roll!" yelled Yang. "Tails then" said Jaune. "Alright" said Bruna "let's go". Bruna tossed a coin; it landed heads. "Tuscan!" Ruby yelled. "We get Lenna then" said Jaune "what now"? Get to the opposite sides of the garden" said Bruna "each team gets two minutes to get a strategy; I'll be watching from the roof". "Wait" said Weiss "doesn't capture the flag require I don't know, flags"? Bruna dissipated from view and then reappeared with two Beacon flags; one had half torn off. "Take your places on the field!" said Bruna "come up with your strategy and be ready for combat"! RWBY reached their side of the garden with the full flag; JNPR did the same with their half of a flag. "Please contain your fight to the garden by the way!" said Bruna "we want the least amount of collateral damage as possible"! "All right team" said Ruby "our strategy is simple; Tuscan and Weiss guards the flag while the rest of us hit the other side. Any questions"? "Thirty seconds!" said Bruna. "Why him and me on defense?" Weiss asked "a smarter idea would be to put him with Yang". "I'm with snow angel on this one" said Yang "I'll stick around back here; you guys would be faster anyway". "Okay then" said Ruby "let's go team RWBY; and Tuscan"! "Time's up" said Bruna "now have at each other"! Blake, Ruby and Weiss ran off leaving Yang and Tuscan with the flag. "So" said Yang "how are things"? "Weiss's visit to Conway was a political victory" said Tuscan "it was a good step into a peaceful future". "I meant how are things with you?" she said. "I'm decent" said Tuscan "wish I could say that about Bruna". "I already talked to her about that" said Yang "what's wrong now"? "Cobalt's being replaced" said Tuscan "Bruna wants to keep the spot open until he comes back". "I can imagine" said Yang "I would do the same crap if it happened to Ruby". "The good thing is that my parents are working with them on the selection" said Tuscan "just so the two don't but heads". "Make way!" Ruby screamed. Ruby and Weiss were running from a series of explosions. When they reached base the onslaught stopped. "Blake disappeared" said Weiss "we got Ren and Lenna out; Jaune is missing and the rest are on the way". "Everyone get ready" said Tuscan "expect an encirclement". Tuscan put a barrier around the flag while the rest formed a perimeter. It was silent as the crew waited for the strike. All of the sudden the mini garden lamps flew into the air and came crashing down; causing a bright flash. When vision returned everyone was engaged. Nora slammed the ground in front of Tuscan with her hammer; sending him back. She came in again bur Tuscan parried the strike with a small barrier. His mace illuminated with a green light and he swung it faster than usual. The impact was so great that Nora flew clean across the garden, but not before sending a grenade right at him. The impact sent him through the wall behind him. When he opened his eyes he had found he landed in front of a young student. She had long brown hair and rabbit ears and clearly seemed startled. "Hello" said Tuscan. "I'm gonna go" she ran off leaving a page of a newspaper behind. The front page said in bold letters Conway Scores First Political Victory in Ages. "What the?" He said in confusion. "Tuscan!" Weiss yelled "get over here"! Tuscan shoved the paper into a small bag on his belt and charged the closest person. Weiss was finished by Pyrrha who was promptly engaged by Tuscan. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jaune running away; with the flag. "Jaune has the flag!" screamed Tuscan. "On it!" Ruby took aim at Jaune's back. Pyrrha knocked Tuscan off balance and put Ruby's aura in the red. Tuscan loaded a frost bolt and nailed Jaune in the leg and slowing him down. Tuscan's mace lit up with green and the light transferred over his body. He flew towards Jaune with intense momentum. Pyrrha got in the way at the last second with the shield and blocked the impact. "JNPR wins!" yelled Bruna "thanks to Jaune's clever move". The whole group came together to exchange congratulations. "Nice plan Jaune" said Yang "never saw you coming". "What was that new trick Tuscan?" Ren asked. "I localized the effects of my gravity dust to my weapon and body" said Tuscan "freeing myself from the forces of gravity temporarily". "Let's go round two!" Nora screamed. "WHO DID THIS!" they heard Glynda scream over by the hole in the building where Tuscan crashed through. "Okay who's backing me up here?" said Bruna. She turned around to see that she was alone in the trashed garden. "BRUNA!" Glynda screamed. "Ms. Goodwitch!" said Bruna "have you been exfoliating? Cause you look so young right now". Glynda's red face made it clear that flattery would not let Bruna escape punishment

Tuscan and Lenna where alone in their room chatting. "Well today was a thing" said Lenna "I hope Bruna isn't too mad"? "Damn right I am!" Bruna came in through the door "she made me clean all that up and replant the garden all day! So give me one reason I should skin you both alive"! "This" Tuscan pulled the article from his bag "finally some good news back home". "Viscount Castleton appeals to the world for statehood and a place at the Vytal Festival" said Bruna "the kingdoms are divided on how to respond due tote recent attack on Conway. This reaction is much different than that of last time twenty years ago when his request was promptly denied. More information to follow". "Weiss coming to Conway had some pretty good political benefits" said Tuscan "a Conway and a Schnee shake hands helped undermine stereotypes". "We still got a long way to go though" said Bruna "if only Cobalt could see us now". A pinging noise broke the conversation up. Something shiny rolled of the open windowsill and onto the floor; stopping at their feet. Bruna picked it up to reveal it was a bullet; and it was live ammo.


	3. A New Front

"So Bruna" said Tuscan "who built the first dust combustion engine"? "Don't care" said Bruna "can we go see RWBY now"? "Wrong" said Tuscan "and now; Lenna how about you"? "August Otto" said Lenna. "We made a deal that you would study and then we would go hang out with them" said Tuscan "I think improving your grades will improve your standing with Goodwitch and maybe you'll keep the leadership position". "What's the point?" said Bruna "she has it out for me". "The point is that none of us want a stranger to lead us" said Tuscan "so if you work hard maybe you can stay in charge. Tell you what; answer the next one correctly and we go hang out with them. What was the name of the coalition general who led the attack on Conway and was later court marshaled under the terms made for the end of The Faunus War"? "Trick question" said Bruna "it was Field Marshal Graves: okay we're done". Bruna slammed all the books shut and pilled them in front of Tuscan. "Go give these back to the librarian would ya?" she said. Tuscan begrudgingly brought the books to the front desk. They made their way towards the sounds of the teams and Blake walked by them. "Hey Blake" said Bruna "what's going on"? Blake did not respond and left the library. "I'll go check on her" said Lenna "I got to talk to her about some stuff anyway". "Lenna wait" Bruna said as Lenna walked after Blake. Bruna shrugged and walked towards the two teams; noticing two new people with them. "Yo guys" said Bruna "declaring war I see". "Yang's about to conquer the world" said Ruby "and the world armies are destroyed". "That's a scary thought" Tuscan came in. "Hey I still have an army" said the new boy with blue hair "at least I think so". "Yeah he's right" said Ruby "sis focus Neptune not me"! "I'll squish you later" said Yang. "So" said Bruna "whose Sonic the hedgehog and banana brain here"? "Excuse me" said the monkey Faunus "your brother and I were tight; how did he not tell you"? "You two talked once" said Weiss "you two were far from tight". "Bruna these guys are Neptune and Sun" said Ruby "guys this is Tuscan, Bruna and, where's Lenna"? "She went after Blake" said Bruna. "I wish her luck" said Sun "she has been distant lately since; it happened". "So Bruna huh" said Neptune "nice name for a nice girl". "Oh really?" Bruna jammed her pen into the table "make a move on me again and; well just ask Jaune over there". Jaune made scissors with his hand and made a snipping noise. "Message received" he replied. "We'll talk to Blake tonight" said Yang "and look at my advance; all that in one turn". "I hit your flank" said Neptune "this will cause you to take heavy losses and cripple your war effort for the next few turns". "What!" said Yang "how did you know to do that"? Tuscan slowly inched away from Neptune. "That's not fair" said Yang "how did you know to do that Tuscan"? "We had the same game back home" said Tuscan "except in our version had Conway on the map". "That may come true soon to" said Pyrrha "I saw the news; congratulations"! "It is a huge event" said Tuscan. "Let's just hope it doesn't backfire" said Weiss. "You really are a downer ice queen" said Sun. "I'm just being realistic" said Weiss "your family has always been muscled out of world politics". "Mostly due to some back room politics" said Bruna "mostly with your family sending favors around. But hey times are changing". "Not exactly" said Ren "there was a report this morning. The Schnee Dust Company executives came out and denounced your father as a raving madman". "Well they can shove it" said Bruna "cuz we got their heir in our pocket"! "I'm right here" said Weiss "and I'm not making any speeches". "You don't have to" said Tuscan "I would like to say thank you for what all of you have done". "Relax" said Yang "we're bros". "Time to go" said Tuscan "it's almost dinner time and I really don't want to eat without Lenna around".

It was night time and the team was in their bedroom. "So what did you two talk about?" Bruna asked. "My time in the Fang" said Lenna "she helped me get my memories in order. She was oddly inquisitive about how much I remember". "Maybe she wants to learn as much as she can?" said Tuscan "she is now fighting the same people she once worked with. Just looking for info may be justified". "Let's talk about the elephant in the room" said Tuscan "we still have no idea of who left the bullet in here the other night". "Isn't it obvious" said Bruna "it was Cobalt"! "Not likely" said Tuscan "why would he stay close to us; it's too dangerous for him". "Because he said he would" said Bruna "remember the chip he gave me"? "Guys" said Lenna "there in something in the closet". Lenna pointed to two weapons on the floor; they were Cobalt's Havoc Shards and a note. "What does the note say?" Bruna asked. "At the rate things are going I won't need these" said Lenna "please watch the streets. Stay safe; Cobalt". "Looks like he's pulling the lone wolf again" said Bruna "but if something is going on we have to do something". "On that we agree" said Tuscan "it is our duty as Conways to fight those who threaten the lives of others". "Does this mean we get to fight people some more?" Lenna asked. "You bet" said Bruna we're gonna take the fight to them". ""Yay vigilante justice!" said Lenna "we're gonna beat some criminals". "We'll hit the streets tomorrow" said Bruna "I only have good plans after a full night's sleep". "That's no different than usual" said Tuscan. "Shut up Tuscan" Bruna crashed onto her bed "we'll need our rest". "She's right" said Lenna "good night guys".

That night Bruna had a dream; she was running through a forest. The trees were red and the ground was jet black. "This is just what needs to be done" she heard an echo. "Cobalt!" she screamed "I'm coming". "All of them will die!" yelled another echo. She looked up to see a figure on to of a hill. "I'm coming!" she said. "It's too late for me" the voice grew loader. She reached the top to see her brother facing away. "Come on Cobalt!" she said "we need to go"! Cobalt turned to reveal his face; it was just empty blackness with red eyes. "I did it; because I love you" he said. A red glare came from the cliff behind him. He fell into the chasm and the light grew darker. A dark mass rose from the chasm; it was a giant Balroth. It reared it's head and howled. Bruna drew her weapons and jumped towards it. The battle was cut off by the bright glare of the morning sun.


	4. Rising Action

"Oh my god he just went on and on" Bruna crashed onto her bed. The two had just gotten out of Professor Port's class. "So what's the plan?" Tuscan asked. "What plan?" said Bruna. "We talked about going on the streets and finding out what's going on" said Tuscan "remember"? "Oh right" said Bruna "all right team here's what we do. I set up an appointment with Fox in the bad side of town; so Tuscan is going to meet him to get some info. Lenna you heard about the reports on the news right"? "Which one?" said Lenna. "The one about the guy going around and attacking Faunus" said Bruna "they call him The Predator. Apparently some of the people attacked were suspected of links to the White Fang. You will pose as a concerned Faunus and go around asking for information about him. Maybe he can help; if not you do what you want". "Can do" said Lenna. "What about you?" Tuscan asked. "I'm going to the tower to call home" said Bruna "apparently you can't call Conway on the major networks anymore, and I thing I could get a few things. So everybody knows their jobs"? The group nodded in agreement. "Okay" said Bruna "hands in". "1, 2, 3; Team CBLT!" they cheered.

Bruna parked her motorcycle in the lot next to the tower. "Wouldn't need to come all the way out here if cooperation's didn't hate Conway so much" said Bruna "but that's gonna change soon". Bruna got into the elevator and the door shut. "Hello" said the computer "welcome to the CCT. How may I help you"? "Communications room" said Bruna "and soon". "Absolutely" it responded "could you please place your scroll on the terminal to verify you identity"? Bruna put her scroll on the scanner on the terminal. "Excuse me" said the computer "this identity is flagged. Would you still like to use the communications room"? "Yes I would" said Bruna "damn computer". "Thank you Ms. Conway" said the computer. Bruna ascended to the communications room. When the door finally opened Bruna made her way to the holographic A.I. secretary. "Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit Center" it said "how may I help you"? "I would like to make a call to the Military Command in Conway please" said Bruna. "I'm sorry" it said "but calls to Conway thru this system cannot be made due international restrictions". "Are you sure?" Bruna held up her scroll, on the screen was an image of a QR code. The hologram intermittingly flashed red until returning to normal. "Terminal ten is open" it said "I can patch you through there". "Thanks for the change of heart" said Bruna. Bruna walked over to the terminal and sat down. She put her scroll in the port; eventually a notification flashed saying that surveillance bugs were disabled. The call went through to a very annoyed looking general. "This is a restricted line" he said "please ID yourself before I; Ms. Bruna! My apologies mam I though". "Relax Mr. Terrak" said Bruna "I just want some information, that's all". "Of course Bruna" said Terrak "information of what kind". "Anything about recent White Fang activity in the Vale area. And feel free to include stuff we learned from the attack". "Of course" he said "all those files have been sent to your scroll. Including the destruct package to delete them if your scroll is hacked. By the way do you want to talk to your father; he is at the palace". "Sure" said Bruna. "Patching you through" said Terrak. The screen blacked out for a second until Castleton finally answered. "Well if it isn't my beautiful daughter" he said "what do you need"? "I need to know why the hell I need a new teammate" said Bruna "I told you before that I want to wait for Cobalt". "Cobalt is not coming back" said Castleton you need to except that" said Castleton "and this is not about your recent behavior in school". "Then what is this about?" Bruna asked. "I'm worried about you" said Castleton "I'm afraid for my daughter". "What else is new?" said Bruna. "Aside from Cobalt you are the most important person outside of Conway" said Castleton "you and Cobalt had your fair share of enemies outside the city; well mostly you. I wasn't worried about you as much with Cobalt around, but now. The line of succession is clear Bruna; with Cobalt gone you are the heir to all who do not know the truth. Considering the already huge target placed on you; you need some protection". "Tuscan and Lenna are enough" said Bruna "plus the last time I had "protection" didn't go so well". "I know what happened" said Castleton "I have taken steps to make sure you and your new partner get along. So please be good to your new partner; do I make myself clear"? "Yes dad" said Bruna. "Good" said Castleton "and one more thing". "What?" said Bruna. "Be sure to extend my gratitude to Weiss" said Castleton. "For coming to Conway?" Bruna asked. "You didn't hear?" said Castleton "Mr. Schnee stepped into a political argument; again". "Was it about our statehood?" Bruna asked. "Yes" said Castleton "but what he proposed was unusual. He said since his daughter was recently in Conway; then she could correctly give a statement about our prospects considering our independence". "Holy crap" said Bruna. "Indeed" said Castleton "well thanks for calling; see you later". "See ya dad" Bruna hung up and made her way out. The elevator was closing as she approached "hold it"! A hand stopped the elevator form closing and let her in. "Thanks" said Bruna "wait; Weiss"? "Hey" said Weiss "what are you doing here"? "Just making a call" said Bruna "like your outfit". "Thank you" said Weiss "thought I should try something different". "It looks good" said Bruna "so; are you nervous about the speech"? "What speech?" said Weiss. "Your dad said you would make a speech" said Bruna "about whether or not Conway should be a kingdom. Didn't he tell you"? "I haven't talked to him in a while" said Weiss. "Wow" said Bruna "guess I kinda dropped that on you". "Yeah" said Weiss. The two were silent until the door opened. "Well see ya" Bruna ran out as Weiss stayed behind in silence. Bruna got to her bike when her phone began to ring; it was Tuscan. "Yo bro what's up?" she said. "I'm in a warehouse near the highway" said Tuscan "I followed some White Fang inside". "What do you see?" Lenna asked as she patched in. There was a pause before Tuscan answered. "It's Torchwick" said Tuscan "he's talking to the White Fang". "Anything else?" Bruna asked. Another pause "holy shit". "Did you just swear Tuscan?" Bruna asked. "Good reason to" said Tuscan "he has one of those new mechs, the big ones; and he says he has more". "This is big" said Bruna "stay put; we'll be right there". "I think I see Blake" said Tuscan "and that new guy Sun; crap the lights went out"! They heard a loud bang and Tuscan's call cut out; he did not respond. "Lenna?" said Bruna. "Meet you there" she hung up. Bruna kicked the bike into gear and drove off.

Tuscan had arrived at an abandoned parking garage to meet with Fox. "Hello?" he said "anybody here"? There was no source of light in the building other than moon light shining through a hole in the ceiling. When he got close enough to the light something came into view; or someone. A girl in a black shirt and skirt with black hair entered the light. ""Check him" she snapped her fingers. Several armed men emerged from the darkness with weapons drawn; their identities were hidden with featureless masks that were half orange and half white. "What is the meaning of this? Tuscan drew his weapon "where's Fox"? "Fox couldn't come" she said "put the weapon away please; these guys are just checking you". Tuscan reluctantly put his weapon away and one of the men stepped forward with a scanner and made a sweep over Tuscan. "No wires or explosives" he said "he's clean". "Tuscan Conway" she said "my appointment was with a Bruna Conway; where's your sister at"? "I'm sorry" said Tuscan "I didn't catch your name miss"? "Ebony" she said "sorry for the scrutiny but we have been a little on edge". "What for?" Tuscan asked. "First of all was the assault on the hideout recently; you were there for that" Ebony said "and the recent attack on our systems; a hacker got in and deleted all our files pertaining White Fang and other trash. Your brother Cobalt's file was also deleted in the attack; what exactly happened to him anyway"? "He disappeared after Conway was attacked" he said "foul play is suspected". "Right" she said "listen big guy I have been in this business long enough to know a cover up when I see one, but the odd thing is even my boss is silent about your brother". "Maybe you should leave it alone then" said Tuscan. "Maybe your right" said Ebony "well anyway the information you asked for is no longer with us. Is there anything else you need? Cause we got to make a visit to Junior". "For revenge I'm guessing?" Tuscan asked. "Wrong" she said "Junior was on White Fang payroll. We're buddies now; we trade info with each other now, and he is grateful for it not being otherwise". "I see" said Tuscan "if you get back on track let me know". "All right then" said Ebony "come on guys let's go". Tuscan exited the building and made his way down the street. "Why does the bus stop have to be so far away?" he said. Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement in an alley. He cautiously followed it to a warehouse which was guarded by a White Fang as a bouncer. "What's going on here?" Tuscan said to himself. He looked up and saw a rusty fire escape leading into the warehouse. It wasn't safe but it also was not guarded. He shot a bolt at the ladder to bring it down, then scaled it and opened the fire door. He found himself on a catwalk in a dark corner. The warehouse was filled with White Fang soldiers and recruits. "I gotta call the girls" he thought. As he reached for his scroll and dialed Lenna and Bruna. "Yo bro what's up?" Bruna asked. "I'm in a warehouse near the highway" he said "I followed some White Fang inside". "What do you see?" Lenna asked. "Thank you all for coming" he said "for those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight; allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours. I can assure you; he is the key to obtaining what we fought for so long". "It's Torchwick" he said "and he's talking to the White Fang". "Anything else?" Bruna asked. Tuscan paused as he listened to Torchwick's speech. "Thank you, thank you!" he said to the upset crowd of Faunus "please, hold your applause". "What's a human doing here?" said somebody in the crowd. "I'm glad you asked dearie" he said "now I'll be the first to admit humans; are the worst, case and point. So I understand why you would all like to see us locked away or better yet; killed. But before the claws come out I would like to mention the fact that you and I all have a common enemy; the ones who control, the people pulling the strings, the dirty rotten humans that run our kingdoms. Government, military, even the schools; they are all to blame for your lot life. And they are all pests that need to be dealt with. Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around; no offence to any rodents in the room". At a snap of his fingers, the curtain fell to reveal a large mech. "Holy shit" said Tuscan. "Did you just swear Tuscan?" Bruna asked. "With good reason" said Tuscan "he has one of those new mechs, the big ones; and he says he has more". "This is big" said Bruna "stay put; we'll be right there". Tuscan scanned the crowd and recognized Blake and Sun among the crowd of recruits making their way forward. "I think I see Blake" said Tuscan "and that new guy Sun". In that instant a shot rang out and the lights went dark; Tuscan made his way to the center of the catwalk to get a better look. "Crap the lights went out!" he said. He heard the sound of the mech powering up and it charged in his direction; destroying the catwalk and sending him to the ground as the mech crashed through the wall. He found himself on the warehouse floor and his scroll had shattered underneath him. "Somebody get the lights back on!" somebody said. The lights flashed on and Tuscan was surrounded by an army of Faunus. Tuscan felt the weight of every eye and weapon pointed at him. "Looks like we got a visitor" said the man from before "a royal Conway at that. My brothers and sisters; lets show this Conway some true White Fang hospitality"! Tuscan put a barrier up just in time to block incoming fire as he ran through the hole left by the mech. He ran down the street as a mob of Faunus charged after him. He darted into an alleyway and saw and exposed flood drain and ran into the pipe. He ran through the twisting pipes as he made random turns to loss his pursuers. He saw a little light up ahead and ran towards it; expecting an exit. He found he had run into a central drain chamber with a grate over a large pipe that led out of the city. He looked for the faint light to see only a small candle illuminating a small corner. In that second a rusty knife was inches from Tuscan's throat. "What are you doing down here big guy?" the figure asked. His voice was dry and muffled; as if his voice was covered. "I could ask the same of you" said Tuscan "what's a squatter doing in the flood tunnels"? "When has the last flood hit Vale?" he said "now answer the question". "My problem is a White Fang mob" said Tuscan "I ran into your "home" to escape". "Did they follow you?" the knife got closer. "Hopefully not" said Tuscan "and my name is Tuscan Conway by the way". "They better not have followed you" the knife fell "count yourself lucky". "Hey you!" a soldier came through the tunnel. The stranger threw the knife right into her ribs; then pounced and drove it right into her temple. "You weren't followed huh" he said sarcastically. The person tried to remove the knife but the handle broke off. "Well that's great too" he put the candle out and grabbed Tuscan "looks like I'm being evicted". "Hang on I can't see" said Tuscan. The stranger grabbed Tuscan by the armed and dragged him off. "In a few feet will run into a ladder" he said. As they scaled the ladder more Fang came through the tunnels and opened fire; the tracers lit up the dark room. The stranger pooped off a manhole cover and the two escaped the fire fight. They came out into an alley and made a break for a nearby street. As they ran Tuscan got a better look at the squatter; he was dressed in dark and tattered clothes and had a gray scarf wrapped around his head to hide his face. Several cars fell from the highway above and they had to roll out of the way. When they got up they found the mob had blocked the way out. "You might as well give up!" one of them called out "because we're going to kill you regardless". Tuscan turned to the stranger and drew his weapon "what do you think"? "You wanna know what" he turned to the mob "I would say the same to you". The stranger's eyes turned red as the glare seemed strike fear in the mob for a few seconds. "It's him!" somebody cried out "kill them both"! The mob ran at them like a wave; Tuscan found that the stranger had leaped into the crowd as it approached. Tuscan shot explosive bolts into the mob as they charged. As they closed explosions ripped through the crowd. Bruna skated in between the mob and dropped explosives at random. Lenna came next to him and shot her shotgun into the crowd. The stranger then charged through the crowd; he was shot, stabbed, punched, and when he reached the end of the alley het turned to his left. He looked startled and ran away to the right and out of sight. The three were now alone in the middle of the mob. "Any bright ideas?" Lenna asked. Tuscan surrounded them with a barrier to give them some time to think. "It won't hold for long" said Tuscan "what's the plan"? "I'm thinking!" said Bruna. The barrier began to crack under the attacks. As it began to look the barrier couldn't take much more; a shot rang out and the noise shocked the mob. "In the name of the kingdom of Conway!" somebody shouted "I demand you step away from my children"! It was Sapphire at the opening of the alley with her umbrella. "Or what?" one called out. A girl appeared next to Sapphire; she had long black hair, tan skin, brown eyes. She wore a light blue zip up sweatshirt, dark blue jeans and black shoes. Her weapon was that of an arch shaped blade (for you LOL players out there it looks like Renekton's weapon). She swung her weapon around wildly; the resulting whirlwind cut down the person who dared asked the question. "Any other questions?" Sapphire asked. The mob simply stood still; Sapphire's eyes narrowed and it felt like the temp of the ally seemed to drop. Bruna noticed she could see her own breath. The mob slowly dissolved as the people ran off or disappeared. "Yeah you better run!" Bruna yelled out. "I see you do take after your father" she sighed "always finding trouble". "Mom what are you doing here?" Tuscan asked. "Official Conway business" she said "and I come down to the bad part of town on a whim and find my children surrounded by an angry mob". "Mom we may be on something big" said Bruna. "Huge!" said Lenna "we're talking as big as Jahrestag". "So I see" she said "you can tell me everything while I take you four to Beacon". "Wait a sec" said Bruna "four"? "Oh right" said Sapphire "this is your new partner Cerulea". "Captain Cerulea of the royal guard at your service" she bowed. "Wait; Cerulea Shine?" Bruna asked. "It has been a while Bruna" she said "hasn't it"?


	5. Fire and Ice

"So no entourage this time?" said Ozpin. "I heard about Ironwood's arrival before I got here" said Sapphire "more armed men in the city hardly seems like a good idea; and you know very well I don't always need an escort". Sapphire was in Ozpin's office; the two were having a conversation over coffee. "So I've noticed" he said "barely a night in Vale and you dissipate an angry mob". "I was nothing Ozpin" she said "hey where's Glynda"? "She's teaching a class right now" he said. "Figures" she said "she was always the brainiac". "I see your sense of humor is still intact" he said "but in all seriousness; why are you really here? The Countess of Conway wouldn't just pop by just to say hello". Sapphire's head bowed and she sighed "you know what happened during Jahrestag". "I heard the whole thing" said Ozpin. "It's only the beginning" she said "if his theory turns out true then". "This is a time of peace Sapphire" he said "not a time for paranoia". "But the way things are going prove what Castleton said" she told him "what happened in Conway can happen here too". "That's enough" said Ozpin "I appreciate your visit but I think it's time for you to leave". "So I see" Sapphire "Jahrestag was the beginning; and if you don't act then even the Vytal Festival is at risk". "I'll keep that in mind" said Ozpin. Sapphire left the room and made her way down the hall. "As stubborn as ever" she said to herself "class should be over by now; might as well go see the kids before hitting the embassy". She made her way towards the dorms; looking at the students as they chatted and mingled. "Damn nostalgia" she thought "things have changed". She went inside the dorms and made her way up the stairs. When she made it up the stairs she noticed out of the corner of her eye a strand of flowing black hair; thinking it was Cerulea she followed. When she rounded the corner she gripped her umbrella in anger. It was an all too familiar person with two people following her. "You!" Sapphire grabbed Cinder by the collar and pinned her to the wall. "Cinder!" the girl with green hair called out. "Head back to the room Emerald" she said "I'll be right there". "But" before she could finish the boy with gray hair coaxed her away. "Why hello Sapphire" said Cinder "how have you been"? "How do you think?" said Sapphire "my boy is missing and you're just hiding here in plain sight. Now I dare you to give me a reason not to paint the walls a nice new shade of red". Sapphire tightened her grip; steam began to come out of the contact point between Cinder's collar and Sapphire's hand. "Oh right, Cobalt is "missing" she said "are you not worried about the rest of your kids"? "Shut the hell up" said Sapphire. "Just let me show you my point" Cinder knocked on the wall next to a nearby door; Bruna answered. "Hello?" she said "oh hi mom". "Hey honey" said Sapphire "how are you"? "Just fine" she said "can you come back later? I'm dealing with Lenna right now". "I don't wanna study!" Lenna yelled from the room. "Can you at least get off the ceiling fan then?" Cerulea asked. "I'll come back later then" said Sapphire. A crash came from the room as the fan hit the floor. "Lenna no!" said Cerulea. "Where's Tuscan when you need him?" Bruna shut the door. Sapphire turned to find that Cinder had gotten away, but her message was clear as day.

"And that's all that happened" said Yang "sorry I can't tell ya more". "It's quite all right" said Tuscan "every bit of information helps". Tuscan was helping Yang put the ballroom together for the dance that weekend. "Just don't tell the rest of my team I told you" she said. "I promise" he said. "He you two" Weiss came over "what's going on"? "Just talking about stuff" said Yang. "Okay" she said "hey Tuscan any ideas for the dance"? "I have none" he said "never been too one". "What?" said Yang "you didn't go to dances back in Polaris"? "It's a waste of time" said Tuscan "my priorities are my studies and combat skills; I could care less whether or not I can tango". "Well here is the thing" said Weiss "you invited me to Conway; so I ask you to please go to the dance". "And why would I even want to go?" he said. "Bruna, Lenna, and Cerulea are going" said Yang "and none of them have dates". "Correction" said Tuscan "Bruna has Cerulea as her date; only Lenna has no date". "Okay smart guy" she said "the point is that you can't just let your life revolve around this; it's not healthy". "You need a brake" said Weiss "you don't need to bring a date; just come and have fun". "I see no point" he said "I got too much to do". "How about this then" said Yang "you don't go and have fun; or I stop talking to you about things and stuff". Tuscan could not risk losing the information he could get from Yang. "Fine, I'll go" he said "but only out of necessity". "Good enough for me" said Yang "Weiss I'm gonna teach Tuscan how do the dance stuff; you can finish up here right"? "Wait Yang!" but it was too late; the blonde had already dragged Tuscan out of the room.

Sapphire sat alone in her room at the embassy; sitting at her desk staring into space. "Dang Sapphire" she said to herself "what are you going to do now"? "Excuse me, Countess Sapphire?" said the secretary over the pager "you have some guests; they didn't give me any names; should I send then up"? "Send them up" said Sapphire. "Right away mam" she said. The door opened and in came the two kids from the hall earlier that day. "Hello Countess Sapphire" said the girl "my name is Emerald and this is Mercury; how are you this evening"? "Cram it you stupid dike" Sapphire responded "what the hell do you two want"? "She is a Conway" said Mercury "so, hostile". "Anyway, we need some help" said Emerald "we're working on a special project. We need into the CCT system". "And what could I possibly have to help you break that kind of encryption?" said Sapphire. "Don't worry" said Mercury "we know you do". Mercury pulled out his scroll and played a video; it was when Bruna hacked the CCT to call home. "We could spread this around you know" said Emerald "and I think you got her message". Sapphire held her tongue; she knew what would happen if she didn't pull through. "Here" she pulled her scroll and showed the code "you can upload it to any computer and you can get whatever you need". Mercury received the code and saved it to his scroll. "Thank you" said Emerald "we'll be in touch". The duo exited the room, leaving a very bitter Sapphire. "What did I tell ya Ozpin" she said.


	6. Betrayal

The day had finally come, the Schnee Bullhead was waiting to pick up Weiss. "Good luck Weiss" said Ruby "Don't worry" said Yang "your face is just gonna be plastered on every TV in the four kingdoms". "Not helping guys" said Weiss "to be honest I'm very nervous". "Then this won't help" said Ruby "look". Ruby pointed to team CBLT as they approached. Bruna stepped right in front of Weiss, with the straightest face. "Never thought I would be saying this" said Bruna "but, thank you ya stupid Schnee"! Bruna extended her hand and the two shook on it. "What you are about to do means so much to our people" said Tuscan "we are forever in your debt". "Break a leg out there princess" said Lenna. "To be honest; I don't know you that well" said Cerulea "but I wish you the best". "Weiss" said guard "we have to go if we want to make it in time". "All right then" said Weiss "I'll see you all tonight". "Dinner at Sarge's Steakhouse" said Ruby "I'm getting the shotty sliders". "After all these years you're still ordering from the kids menu" said Yang. "I don't think I'll be going" said Blake "now if you excuse me; I got a few things to do". Blake walked off with the gate resembling that of a drunk. "Okay guys" said Weiss "I'll be seeing you". Weiss got aboard the Bullhead and it took off. "Well, see you guys tonight" said Ruby, she walked away with her team. "I'm gonna go see mom" said Tuscan "what are you guys gonna do"? "We're gonna get dresses for the dance" said Bruna "you should grab a suit on the way back". "I'll take a look" said Tuscan "and I'll try to get back in time to watch Weiss's speech".

"I just think it's a little flashy" said Cerulea. "Come on" said Bruna "the dress matches you perfectly, plus the rhinestones put the whole thing together". "How do I look?" Lenna came out of the dressing room. Her dress was a short black skirt with white lace all topped off with a white bowed tied onto the back of her neck. "Oh, my, god" said Bruna "you look so cute"! "It's just a little pricy" said Lenna. "We'll get it with the power of mom's credit card!" said Bruna "which for once, I asked for". "Which are you getting Bruna?" Cerulea asked. "This little brown skirt" said Bruna "I'll head to the register and cash in; you guys can pack your dresses up". Bruna made her way to the register and bumped into Pyrrha. "Oh" she said "hey Bruna". "Well if it isn't the star student" said Bruna "what are you doing here, I though you said you weren't going. What, or who made you change your mind"? "Well" she said "Nora and Ren are going so". "Pyrrha" said Bruna "you know what I'm talking about". "I don't know" she said "I want to support him but". "Listen Pyrrha" she said "I've like a lot of people in the past; some guys and some girls. In that time I've spent I had to deal with being too shy to tell somebody how I feel". "Did you tell her then?" Pyrrha asked. "Well" said Bruna "not exactly. I may have come along that way, but I don't think she got the hint. Listen you don't have to tell him outright; just come in from an angle and queue for looks". "What does that mean?" she asked. "You say something along the lines of what you want to say, but make it seem like you're not saying it" said Bruna "like when I tell somebody they got the booty, without sounding like I want the booty". "I think I get it" she said. "Listen" said Bruna "worst case scenario, his thick skull gets in the way again". "I'll try it" she said "thank you Bruna". "No probs" said Bruna "now get your fine ass out of here". "Uhhh" Pyrrha was clearly uncomfortable. "Kidding" said Bruna "you know which booty I really want". "Good point" Pyrrha "well I'm gonna go then". Pyrrha escaped Bruna and got out of the shop. "I wonder how Tuscan is doing?" she thought.

"Hello" said the secretary "welcome to the Conway Embassy to Vale; how may I help you"? "It's Tuscan" he said "I would like to see my mother"? "Of course" she said "you know where to find her". "Thank you mam" he said. Tuscan took to the private rooms and knocked on the royal suite. "Mother?" he said "can we talk"? "Sure kid" she said "come on in". Tuscan entered to see his mother sitting at a table with a cup of iced coffee and her feet on the table. "How are you feeling mother?" he asked. "Stop calling me mother for one thing" she said "call my mom, Sapphire, heck even mommy for all I care! Your never gonna get any friends with that pole up your butt". "I just came here to talk" he said "you remember the night you came and dropped of Cerulea correct"? "I do clearly remember saving my children's asses" she said "why do you ask"? "The reason they were chasing us was because I stumbled upon a secret meeting" he said "observing which is when I learned that their operations are being concentrated southeast of Vale. I came to help you learn of this and recommend we send scouts down their immediately to survey the area. We can clear it with the Vale government to aid in the White Fang investi-". "No" said Sapphire. "Wait" Tuscan was stunned "no"? "I see little to no solid evidence that White Fang is operating in the southeast" she said "even so the Vale government would be reluctant to accept our aid". "Things are changing mother" said Tuscan "they may be more agreeable now than before". "Even so we still lack proof" she said. "Why are you so apprehensive mother?" he asked "not very long ago they attacked our city and now your passing up a chance for retaliation"? "I'm not wasting time and resources on this" she said "even if they did concentrate in the southeast; where would they be, and how would they deal with the large Grimm populations there"? Tuscan was silent for a few seconds "is something wrong mother"? "Nothing is wrong" she said "now go get ready for your dance". Tuscan stood up and made for the door. "If you will not take this opportunity" he said "then we sure will". "You will do no such thing!" she said "I am your mother; and I am not letting you put your life on the line"! "So you know something is happening?" he said "I see no reason for you to turn a blind eye; I feel insulted that my own mother is withholding information from me. And let me assure you that my life pales in comparison to those at risk; that is my duty as a Conway". "That ideology of yours is what makes me worry in the first place" she said. "Goodbye mother" he said "I'm sorry if I hurt you again". "You've already given everything" said Sapphire "why do you keep going"? "Because it's my job" said Tuscan "what happened will not hinder my resolve". "Your damn resolve is what got us here in the first place!" said Sapphire. "I could argue with you all night" said Tuscan "but if anybody should be lectured about resolve it should be you; goodbye mother". Tuscan exited the room, leaving his mother in tears.

"Where is Tuscan?" asked Lenna "it's gonna be on soon". "He wouldn't miss this" said Cerulea "he'll be here". The door to the room shook with a loud bang. Bruna pulled the door open to allow her brother entry. "Your late" she said "go ahead and sit down; it's about to start". When Tuscan sat down Bruna turned the TV on and turned to the news. "Today is a day for history" said the reporter "what you are about to see is live footage of Weiss Schnee's address to the world that will decide whether or not the tiny kingdom will finally join the world's elite. We now turn to the podium to see the speech that will give the final word on this issue". The camera changed location to a large conference hall, at the podium was a representative. "When we hear the word Conway" he said "what comes to mind? Is it truth, justice, and equality; or is it barbarism, fascist, or terrorist? Today the kingdoms of the world watch to see the verdict of a highly reclusive and secretive kingdom. Many of us here have never stepped into Conway, but one person here has. She is here to give us the inside look of whether or not Conway is ready for the responsibilities that come with being independent. I now give the floor to a very brave young girl; Weiss Schnee". The crowd applauded as Weiss rose to the podium, she looked very nervous. "I was one of the lucky few to be invited into Conway during the Jahrestag festivities, and by the royal family no less" she said "it is thanks to my recent experience in the city that I can speak here today. I am here to give you; the truth". "Here it comes" said Bruna. "Conway is…" she took a long pause "not even near ready to even be a modern city, let alone a kingdom". The room was silent; the team was filled with shock and disbelief. "On my entry into the city" she said "they invaded my very personal history; I was even almost shot upon entering. Everywhere I went there was a soldier escorting me; waiting for an excuse to put me down. The people there are suffering and forced to fight in the army of an oppressive regime. When I stayed in the royal palace they put me in a dungeon and called me a witch. And the disaster of Jahrestag was initially blamed on me! Conway is far from being a kingdom; it is simply a safe haven for extremists and psychopaths". The conference room was silent as Weiss stepped down. "Thank you for your address Ms. Schnee" said the man from before "we now commence deliberation on the fate of Conway's statehood". The camera panned back to the reporter. "You heard it here first" she said "there is beyond a shadow of a doubt what the result will be now. To a much lighter note here's Gia with the weather". The TV shattered as the remote cracked the screen into fragments. "SHE IS DEAD!" yelled Bruna "YOU HEAR ME; DEAD"! "How could she do this to us?" said Lenna "after all we've done for her". "This is a heinous crime" said Cerulea "we must act now". "I say we wait" said Tuscan. "What are you talking about?" said Bruna "she stabbed us in the back"! "We have protocol for this" said Cerulea "and execute order may be filed". "We need command approval for that" said Tuscan. "We know what command is gonna say" said Bruna "so I say we take a step ahead; be a little proactive about it". "I won't be a part of this" said Tuscan "we can't act on this without command's approval". "Fine" said Bruna "you can wait for the okay like the good little boy you are and we'll deal with the problem". "This is against protocol" said Tuscan "and we have yet to know any possible ramifications for such an action". "I don't care" said Bruna "come on girls lets go". "You don't even know where to look" said Tuscan. "Oh yes we do" she said.

The scene was outside the entrance to Sarge's Steakhouse. "I don't know" said Yang "I thought it looked more like a puma". "Well it doesn't matter know" said Ruby "you said puma when it clearly looked like a warthog and you didn't get your free steak". "Guys" said Weiss "I think we have something worse to worry about; I mean they didn't even show". "I'm sure they'll come around" said Yang "and when you explain I'm sure they'll understand…". Yang trailed off when she noticed and blinking red light coming from a nearby vase behind Ruby. "Hey Ruby?" she said "what's that behind you"? "What do you mean?" Ruby turned and saw it too, she inspected it closer "I think it's, a, bomb? Yup, definitely a bomb". "A bomb!" Weiss screamed. In that moment several red lights illuminated the entire area around them, revealing more bombs. They detonated and cast a blanket of smoke over the area. "I can't see" said Yang "Ruby, can you take care of this"? Ruby pulled her scroll out and hit her code; the locker came crashing down and the others followed suit. The impacts cleared the smoke and revealed their attackers; team CBLT. "Guys" said Ruby "you came". "Cram it all of you!" said Bruna "step aside and hand her over". "Bruna wait!" said Weiss "I can explain"! "You betrayed us!" said Lenna "we trusted you as one of us"! "You are in violation of the Conway code as you committed high treason" said Cerulea "this is punishable by execution and death". "What do you mean by treason?" said Yang. "When you four took that oath in Conway" said Bruna "you weren't just being honored; you were being inducted". "You became members of the Conway order that day" said Cerulea "while you are free to pursue your own goals; you are a member of our order and bound by some regulations". "Treason is one of the few and highest crime our members are not allowed to commit" said Lenna "you broke the one rule you never should have". "And now we have the authority to put you down Weiss" said Bruna "funny how stupid I can be. I mean I trusted a Schnee; again". "You don't understand" said Weiss "I had no choice". "I don't think you understand" said Bruna "you chose to get along with us. "You chose to come to Conway. You chose to be our friend; and you chose, to stab us in the back. This whole thing has been about choice; you're just so full of shit right know. Still lying to save your hid; you're still a lying, cheating, Schnee piece of shit"! "You know we won't let you" said Yang. "I'll give you two a pass" said Bruna "hand her over and I'll extend amnesty; otherwise you two will be charged with harboring a fugitive or whatever the legal shit is". "I'm sorry" said Ruby "but you know what I have to say to that"? "What"? said Bruna. "Freezerburn!" Ruby called out. Weiss froze the ground underneath her and Yang smashed it; throwing a cloud of steam into the air. They heard the roar of an engine and high velocity round flew through the air. Yang had escaped on her bike with Weiss while Ruby stayed behind. "I got this" said Cerulea "go get her"! She drew her weapon and charged Ruby with her wild combos. Lenna and Bruna went into a nearby alley and got on their back and made chase. "I'll get alongside" said Bruna "you trash their bike". "On it" Lenna drew her shotgun and sprayed pellets towards Yang and Weiss. The chase was leading the two duos towards a busy intersection. "They're slowing down" said Bruna "get ready"! Weiss placed a glyph a few yard in front of them, it detonated when they ran over it and hurtled them over the intersection. "You got any tricks?" Lenna asked. "Gimme some time" Bruna activated her weapon and froze everything in place. "Come on Bruna" she said "think". "Temporal stall detected" said the bike's onboard V.I. "playing video message". A screen popped up along with a control panel, on the screen Cobalt appeared. "Hello Bruna, if this is playing than one of two things happened" he said "you either stole my bike and I am chasing you, or I gave you my bike and you're in a chase. If you stole my bike, the bike will stop automatically and I will drag you home; that is unless it detects the mineral override key which it will scan for now". The bike began to scan Bruna until it found the necklace Cobalt gave her. "If this message is still playing than you have the mineral override" he said "the bike will now activate its onboard weapon system and different armaments can be activated via triggers or voice commands. Have fun with your new toy Bruna, and try not to ruin it". The message stopped and several triggers appeared near the grips on the handlebars. "Okay" she said "let's see what we can do". Time began moving again and Bruna floored it towards the traffic intersection. "Bruna!" said Lenna "tell me you have something"! "If I know my brother" she said "jump jets"? Rocket motors appeared on the two wheels and blasted away from the ground, carrying them over the intersection. "What's with the Conway boys and putting weapons on stuff?" asked Lenna. "They love being prepared" said Bruna "let's see what we can do, hook"! Out of the flank of the bike fired a grappling hook which lodged into the rear wheel of Yang's bike, causing her to lose control and crash. "She's mine!" Lenna said. Bruna hit the front brake causing Lenna to be aimed directly at Weiss and Yang. "Eject passenger" said Bruna. Lenna was shot off the bike and used her momentum to leap towards Weiss. A black ribbon wrapped around Lenna's ankle and she hit the ground. "I got your call" said Blake "go". "Lenna!" said Bruna. "I got this" said Lenna "she's barely even there". Bruna pursued Yang and Weiss into an alley; it lead into a dead end. "Now I got you" said Bruna. "You got no chance" said Yang "it's two against one". "Is this a private?" somebody called out "or can anybody just join in"? Ebony leaped down from the roof above. "Hey Ebony" said Yang "how's it going". "It's going great" she said "just got this huge contract. I make bank if I help some girl off some bureaucrat's daughter". "So that's how it is then?" said Yang. Ebony pulled out a suit case, which unfolded into a guandao polearm weapon. "Come on blondie" said Ebony "don't keep me waiting". Yang charged Ebony while Weiss made her escape to the rooftops. She ran as fast as she could from building to building; when she looked back she wasn't being followed. When she turned forward again she saw a bomb fly right in front of her and explode; sending her into a nearby alley. Myrtenaster slid away when Weiss impacted the ground. She tried to make a grab for it but Bruna came down in her way. "Listen Bruna, let's be reasonable" said Weiss "I was forced to say those things, I didn't mean a word I said". "I'm sorry" said Bruna "I don't know how to be fucking reasonable right now; you know how I'm a psychopath or something like that. This is for all the shit thousands of people are going through because you had to go and ruin everything"! Bruna brought down her blade across Weiss. A bright white light enveloped Weiss and the blade was deflected off. "Enough!" a loud voice called out. Tuscan approached with his weapon drawn. "What the hell are you doing here?" Bruna demanded. "Command called in" said Tuscan "we have been given our orders". "See I told ya" said Bruna "now let me off this bitch". "Command says she is to be pardoned" said Tuscan. "What?" said Bruna "you can't be serious"? "I have already called the others off" said Tuscan "even that merc of yours". "She may have well just caused another war" said Bruna. "It's not definite yet" said Tuscan "but killing her will remove all doubt of what will happen". "She stabbed us in the back" said Bruna "she played us all for fools". "Bruna" said Tuscan "that not why you're doing this". "She betrayed us!" said Bruna "of course that's why I am doing this". "Bruna let me be blunt" said Tuscan "you are selfish, you don't care at all for what she did to Conway; you care what she did to you. You blame her father for losing your friends and you feel the same way now. This isn't about Conway; it just getting back at her father". "What are you talking about?" said Bruna "I care for Conway as much as you do". "I know" said Tuscan "but you're just looking for excuses. Killing her will accomplish nothing". Bruna just stood there in silence, tightly gripping a stick of C4. "It wasn't my idea" said Weiss "I was under pressure; I had no choice". "Fine then" she put it away "she gets away, for now". The barrier around Weiss fell as Bruna withdrew her weapons. "Bruna" said Weiss "I never wanted". "You stop it there" said Bruna "I don't want to hear any more". Bruna stormed off and out of the alley and Tuscan put the barrier down. "Tuscan" said Weiss "I just want to thank". "Don't thank me yet" said Tuscan "I too would like nothing more than for you to be dealt with, but command is absolute. Conway is calling for blood; keep up what you're doing and it will be your's". Tuscan walked out of the alley leaving a very shaken Weiss.

The scene is a secret situation room in White Mountain. "Are you mad?" Azure yelled "the whole city is calling out for blood and you let her live"? "I didn't want to start more trouble" said Castleton "killing her would destroy our fragile credibility; and we need every ounce if we want to stop her". A ringing sound interrupted the argument and a computer popped from the desk, it was Sapphire. "Atlas has already shut down our embassy and kicked us out" she said "Vale and the other kingdoms are likely to do the same". "Dammit!" said Azure "I told you we shouldn't have trusted her". "I knew the risks when I let her in" said Castleton "if Vale kicks us out then we lose our foothold and ability to stop Cinder, how does the situation look for us"? "Not very good" she said "Ozpin went to bat for us, but Ironwood tore it down; I've already packed most of my things". "We all know what her endgame is" said Castleton "unfortunately those we've told think us crazy or don't believe us at all". "If we are kicked out of Vale we lose control" said Azure "she could run amok in there and do as she pleases. Speaking of which, have you seen her yet Sapphire"? Sapphire let out an audible sigh "she is here, but if we do act she has threatened the kids". "They don't know?" said Azure "Cobalt never told them"? "Cobalt never wanted them to get in danger and neither do I" said Castleton "we're in quite a predicament here". "What do we do then?" Sapphire asked. Castleton was silent, staring at the monitor on the far wall. "In order to stop her if we are expelled from Vale" said Castleton "we must beat her to it". Silence gripped the room, the two struggled to comprehend what just happened. Castleton interacted with the monitor and turned on a map function on the monitor and scrolled around. "Castleton" said Azure "I have known you for years; but this should not be the first option". "It is our only option!" said Castleton "Azure; tell Firebase Epsilon to be on alert and send them equipment. Sapphire, I want you to try to keep our foothold in Vale. If all else fails, we know what to do". Castleton fixed the map on the location of Firebase Epsilon; it was only a few miles away from Vale.


End file.
